The shoulders on which Brazilian football history rests are saved for a few select names, nicknames, and shorthand marks. Count Nike athlete Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima, O Fenomeno, R9 himself, in that elite group.
Retired from the game since 2011, R9 sees his place among Brazil’s football stars on a continuum, not a list of power rankings. He followed in the footsteps of national legends like Pele, and he’s intentionally positioned his own post-professional career to help set the course for the next generation of stars, like 24-year-old striker Vini Jr. R9 has become the national hero he once idolized. Doing so gracefully, with his playing days behind him, has instilled in him a careful self-awareness, offering lessons to anyone who’s watching a younger generation take the stage.
For example, R9 understands firsthand that every move he makes, no matter how minor, is likely under the watchful eye of a young fan dreaming of one day reaching pro status. Growing up as a young footballer, one of R9’s idols was the Brazilian Zico, or Arthur Antunes Coimbra, an attacking midfielder whose playmaking put him on the global map throughout the late ’70s and ’80s.
“I was crazy about him,” says R9. “I watched him play every match, watched every interview. There was one interview where he explained how he trained to kick with his left foot. He picked a spot on the wall and kicked it with his left foot hundreds of times. I saw that and immediately went outside and started kicking 100, 150 shots against the wall with my left.”
That starstruck imitation of his favorite players has come full circle. Vini Jr. first met Ronaldo when the young footballer was 16 years old at a Nike event, but Vini Jr.’s admiration for R9 long preceded that encounter. Vini Jr. grew up hearing the stories bordering on myth, watching highlights that defied physical limits. That admiration led Vini Jr. to install a mural of R9 in his home gym. “Meeting him was like meeting a superhero,” the star says. “Over time, we’ve gotten closer. He’s become a friend, always giving me amazing advice.”
R9 gives that advice freely. In fact, he sees giving it not as a matter of personal charity, but of national responsibility.
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R9 signing young fans' footballs at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore.
Few other football communities revere their icons like the Brazilians. R9 witnessed it, seeing the crowds that mobbed the travel bus, hearing the roar of tens of thousands in unison as he charged the goal. He saw how his on-pitch ability could transport a fan out of their world and into a new one. As a mentor to young players, R9 has come to appreciate how the sport holds transportive powers.
“I think people from the favelas, from poor communities, look to us as football players and see in the sport a path to a better life — for themselves individually and for their families,” he says. “Millions of kids are inspired by the football players in Brazil because they represent something more than success.”
So says one hero to the next.